A shortfall in funding for malaria threatens efforts to stop the disease in Africa, the World Health Organization says.
Globally, last year, total funding reached US $3 billion against a global target of $5.6 billion.
The WHO said disruptions caused by the Covid-19 may also roll back the gains made over the years.
In Kenya, there are an estimated 3.5 million new clinical cases of malaria and 10,700 deaths each year.
“It is time for leaders across Africa – and the world – to rise once again to the challenge of malaria, just as they did when they laid the foundation for the progress made since the beginning of this century,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a statement.
In Kenya, currently government financing constitutes only about 25 per of all malaria eradication efforts with the rest being funded by bilateral and multilateral donors.
Total malaria funding in Kenya averages $270 million for a three-year period and with the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria being a significant donor.
WHO records show the Global Fund contributed Sh6 billion to Kenya in 2017, followed by the USAid at Sh3.5 billion and the UK at Sh240 million.
The Kenya government only allocated Sh100 million ($1 million) to fight the disease.
According to the latest World Malaria Report 2020, released this week, progress against malaria continues to plateau, particularly in high burden countries in Africa like Kenya.
In 2000, African leaders signed the landmark Abuja Declaration pledging to reduce malaria deaths on the continent by 50 per cent over a 10-year period.
Robust political commitment, together with innovations in new tools and a steep increase in funding, catalysed an unprecedented period of success in global malaria control.
WHO says that even moderate disruptions in access to treatment could lead to a considerable loss of life.
The report finds, for example, that a 10 per cent disruption in access to effective antimalarial treatment in sub-Saharan Africa could lead to 19 000 additional deaths.
Disruptions of 25 per cent and 50 per cent in the region could result in an additional 46,000 and 100,000 deaths, respectively.
“While Africa has shown the world what can be achieved if we stand together to end malaria as a public health threat, progress has stalled,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
“Despite the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on African economies, international partners and countries need to do more to ensure that the resources are there to expand malaria programmes which are making such a difference in people’s lives.”
